Arsenal star target confirms he want shock Barcelona summer exit

Rafinha, currently on loan at Inter Milan from Barcelona, says he’s happy in Italy and wants a permanent move to the country.

Rafinha moved on loan in January, and after just a few months with his new club they already seem to have won him over.

“I’m very happy to be here, everything is going well,” Rafinha revealed. “I’m playing, and that’s important because it allows me to grow and find the right rhythm to reach top condition.

“I’ve been confident from the first day, Inter is a great team and we have the chance to reach our objective.

“I’m learning Italian, I want to stay here. I wanted Inter right away, I feel at home here and I’m happy.”

The media consistently linked Rafinha to Arsenal last year, over the entire summer transfer window, then the build up to the winter window. At the time they touted him as a possible replacement for Alexis Sanchez or Mesut Özil.

There’s no doubting that Rafinha needed to put a run of games together before making a permanent move anywhere though. He made one 15 minute appearance for Barcelona in the entire first half of the 2017/18 season. Injuries massively stunted his progress in Spain.

With Inter Milan he’s starting to play every week. He’s already in double figures for appearances, even if he’s yet to complete 90 minutes. If he really wants to stay, then the good news is Inter have an option-to-buy set at €35 million.

Arsenal might be in the market for a midfielder if they end up letting Jack Wilshere leave this summer. On the other hand, if they wouldn’t make Wilshere a large financial offer for fear of injuries, it’d be the same story with Rafinha.

Ultimately it looks like the chances of a move to North London are dead now.